


The Object: First Warning

by Markov_Debris



Series: The Object [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Gen, Spoilers for Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 05:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12125220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Markov_Debris/pseuds/Markov_Debris
Summary: An mysterious artifact from Ianto’s Torchwood One past is about to start trouble for him and the Torchwood Three team.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This is a two part story, the second half of which is set during season 2. It is part of my Awaiting Universe and I have decided to add both parts of this story now, mostly because I know how frustrating it is have to wait to read the second part of a story, but I won't add part two to my Awaiting Universe series until I have posted all of the stories in between. If you are reading my Awaiting Universe stories in chronological order I will let you know when it is time to read part two; the next story will be Aftermath in Company. If you decide you cannot wait, please be aware there are some slight spoilers for events that happen between both parts in the Awaiting Universe. Whatever you decide, I hope that you enjoy.

The alarm blared throughout the Hub.  It was not the usual alarm that signalled rift activity or the use of alien technology, its tone and pattern were wrong.

Jack, Owen and Gwen gathered around Toshiko.  They could have gone to any console, the warning seemed to be on all of them, but she had been the only one sitting at hers when the alarm went off.

“What’s happening?” Owen demanded.

“I am still trying to find out.  It’s a priority alarm but I still cannot find out which one.  It keeps asking for passwords and mine don’t seem to be good enough,” She replied in frustration.

Gwen and Owen both looked suspiciously at Jack.

 _Why couldn_ ’ _t we have has a nice quiet day off?  Or something routine to help soothe their anger over my decision with Jasmine and built their trust back._

“Don’t look at me I haven’t installed any alarm programs that require security access codes to find out what they mean,” he replied moving over to the console to type in his security code.

He hit it in frustration as he received the same access denial as Toshiko.

“Tell me Pandora is there hope left in your box,” they jumped as Ianto Jones’ voice called out from the door.  The cogwheel door’s alarm had been unheard above the mysterious alert that was now silenced.

“Oh!” exclaimed Tosh as she turned back to her console, which had suddenly changed into a world map with five global flashing lights.

Jack could almost feel the weight of the anger they had been feeling towards him transfer to the Welshman.  The Captain could feel his heart constrict, _not again please.  It is too soon for more of your secrets to harm us._

“It’s the Object alarm,” Ianto replied to their demanding looks.

“Then you had better get to the medical unit,” Jack answered almost glad that the tension the new situation caused in him had been cancelled out the reply’s relief.

“Of course sir, I don’t want to become a psychotic killer do I?” Ianto’s words raised eyebrows amongst the others but concern in Jack. 

Jack thought he detected a hint of sarcasm and wondered if that was a good sign.  The destruction of the Cyberman had made the reserved Welshman even more distant and silent.

_Had it only been a few weeks ago?  He’s barely been back a few days, a scare from the Object is not what Ianto or any of us need._

Jack couldn’t stop his thoughts turning to the conversation he and the Welshman had had last night. Not only was it Ianto’s first step towards rebuilding their relationship but his understanding and acceptance over the decision with Jasmine, especially when none of the rest of the team would even speak to him, was exactly what the Captain needed.

The immortal was surprised now that the others had even bothered to come in today.  If this alert hadn’t happened they would probably have spent the whole time giving him the silent treatment.

“Owen you need to do a complete physical on Ianto.  Run every test you can think of, now,” Jack ordered returning his thoughts to the business in hand.

“Don’t you think a little explanation is in order?” Gwen said angrily.

“Yes but later.  Go with him, make sure nothing untoward happens.  When we have checked everything here we will join you and I’ll give you your explanation.”

Any further protests from them were stalled by Ianto setting off for the medical unit.  Jack could tell from the looks they exchanged that they considered asking Ianto but would probably not be able to make themselves do it.

That was something of a relief to Jack.  Their anger might be focused on him but they were till aware that the Welshman grieving and didn’t want to upset him.

“What is this alert and what am I looking for?” Toshiko asked quietly as Jack leaned in close beside her, making her tense a little so he moved slightly away.

“The computers are set to automatically track and trace the general location of the segments.  Make sure that there are none anywhere near us or each other.  Then begin a trace to find the source of the ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy pulse.  We need to know if it originated in space or from earth and if on earth we need to know where.”

“I have never heard of ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy,” she said typing trace instructions into the computer.

“That is probably because it’s not the energy’s real name.  It is like everything about the Object, coded and classified to make complete knowledge as difficult as possibly.”

“To protect this Object?”

“And to protect us.”

“Two ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy pulses originated from space.  They were both wide bands of energy we were not hit as their main focus.  Both sides of the Earth where touched by it though, one after the other,” Toshiko said concerned.

“Don’t look so worried ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy is apparently harmless unless you are in close proximity to the Object.”

Toshiko visibly relaxed.  She was still angry at him but as always her professionalism took over, letting her do her job without her feelings clouding her judgement.

“The nearest segments to us is in the Alps.  The others are in North America, Africa, China and Antarctica.  Oh.”

“What?”

“We have just detected two more ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy pulses all readings on the segments have stopped.”

“So it’s a false alarm.  It isn’t someone looking for the Object,” Jack said relieved.

“How can you know?”

“Log and back up your findings.  Then we will go to the medical ward and share the explanations,” Jack promised.

She looked at him and nodded.  Jack hovered as she worked not ready to face the others just yet.


	2. Chapter Two

The explanations were delayed while Owen completed his examination and Ianto then got dressed.

“Well his diet could be a little more balanced and he still needs to put on some weight and get more sleep, just like last time, but apart from that he seems to be perfectly healthy.  I have to wait for the results of all my tests to confirm that though.”

“No you have to wait for the results of the tests you make on tomorrow’s samples and the ones you take the day after that to confirm your diagnosis,” Jack replied.

Owen looked like he was about to protest but Ianto said, “I understand sir,” making the objection impossible.

“Are you going to tell us what this alert is?” Gwen demanded. 

Ianto and Jack exchanged looks.  The Captain sighed and began.

“No body knows exactly what the Object is.  We know is that it’s an alien device that was divided into five segments and hidden in different locations across the Earth several thousand years ago.

“Over the millennia the various segments have been uncovered, the warnings around them noted and then they were later re-buried, often in new locations with new warnings and few clues about where these new locations are.

“Only once have all five segments of the Object ever been in the same place, although it has never actually been re-assembled, and that was when they were being studied by Torchwood One.” 

They all turned to Ianto who did not look at them.  The immortal could see them about to start asking questions so he continued.

“The segments were divided up and hidden again three days before the battle of Canary Wharf.  Copies of what was left of the research material had already been sent here.  The clues concerning the new location of the segments were to have been sent to Torchwood Two in Glasgow but they were lost in the battle.”

Jack spoke not taking his eyes of Ianto’s face.  It didn’t change, his eyes remained downcast and subdued.  This was a painful reminder, too soon after recent events, but he had to tell the others and the Welshman had to be here.

“Each segment of the Object was being studied separately, under the direction of Professor Laurence Smithson.  They seemed inert but the warnings that accompanied each segment all spoke of global, perhaps even universal destruction.”

“Pandora’s Box,” Toshiko said suddenly. “You just have to know the mystery inside even though you have been warned about terrible consequences.”

“That is one of the reasons why it is only ever referred to as the Object.  Legends say to know what it is, is to desire it beyond the destruction of your soul,” Jack agreed.

“Very fanciful,” Owen said sarcastically.

“So, Torchwood had the Object, studied it and then hid it before the battle.  Why?” Gwen asked.

“On the Friday of the week before the battle of Canary Wharf an energy pulse was detected from deep space, ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy.  The energy is harmless to humans but it caused a reaction in the segments of the Object.

“Each segment emitted energy of its own for a short time before a second pulse of ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy was then detected a few minutes later after which the segments stopped emitting energy and there were no further reactions.

“Smithson told his teams that it was excellent progress and that they should not be disappointed that the energy only worked once.  He said it was probably a security feature.

“He then told them to log all their readings and write a quick report on their possible theories.  He said he knew it might mean they would be working late that night, but he was so pleased with their progress that day that he had spoken to the Head of Torchwood Research, they were all given the weekend off and could come in late on Monday morning,’ Jack glanced at Ianto but the Welshman did not look up.

“Over that weekend Smithson hunted down every member of his team.  Starting with the team leaders working on the Object segments down to the most junior of researchers.

“He found them all and killed them and the people with them.  Those he did not find during the weekend he ambushed and killed before they could enter the Tower.  Anyone and everyone connected to the Object he murdered before Torchwood security realised, all except one.”

“One survivor, how?” Gwen asked horrified.

“I was in the secure archives,” Ianto said at last.  “When he couldn’t find me he decided to destroy the research first and that’s when security was alerted.

“I was not a member of the project team so I wasn’t given Monday morning off.  I was merely responsible to transporting the segments of the Object to the lab from secure storage.  The security teams killed him not far from where I was working,” Ianto’s eyes flickered to Jack’s for a moment.

“Torchwood One not only had very strict recruitment procedures including psychological profiling, but conducted regular medicals and psychological evaluations on all their personnel.  The chances of Professor Smithson being psychotic were unlikely.  Yet his Autopsy confirmed a dramatic change in his brain chemistry since his last physical.

“That’s why all the tests on Ianto,” Owen said gravely.

“He is the only person to have knowingly touched or seen segments of the Object.  I understand that those that hid the segments did not know what they were transporting, even if they did most of them didn’t survive the battle.

“Ianto underwent the same series of tests last time too.  The security protocols and alerts were put in place when the research on the Object was stored here.  I hadn’t heard it so I didn’t recognise the alert.”

“What happens now?” Owen asked.

“I think it’s a false alarm,” Jack replied, “Anyone looking for the Object will know not to use two ‘ _Smithson_ ’ energy pulses to trace the segments.

“Owen I want you to give Ianto a life signs monitor.  It isn’t fair to keep you locked up down here but I want you both to be back here first thing tomorrow to run more tests.”

Ianto nodded his understanding and Owen groaned.  The medic however would do as he asked, none of them wanted to take any risks with the Welshman.

 

 


	3. Chapter Three

Toshiko’s steps were hesitant as she plunged deeper into the archives.  There was something forbidding about them, they were strictly Ianto’s domain.

This though was where the Welshman had gone and she was determined to find him.

Ianto’s accusation that they had never cared to know anything about his life had struck her deeply.  Until the Welshman joined she had become used to being the last member of the team the new person bonded with.

Suzie had been hostile and Owen seemed to keep missing him at first so Tosh was the first one, other than Jack, that the Welshman got to like.  She liked to think that the delay in Ianto’s meeting the medic didn’t matter, especially as Owen took time to warm to people, and that she still would have been his first friend in the team.

On Ianto’s first day back from suspension, when she’d brought him the coffee, Toshiko had half expected him to ignore her but it still hurt.  She couldn’t blame him though, she had failed him, like the others, she had let Ianto fade into the background, unnoticed.

It made her feel particularly guilty because she so often felt like she was being ignored.  They needed her brilliance, her genius but as a person she didn’t matter so much to them sometimes.  Okay Owen sometimes needed to talk to her as a friend but usually only when a case was bothering him.

Gwen had changed all that.  She was not only lively and caring but she was interested in them for who they were not just what they did.

She was the new girl eager to know everything, eager to get it right especially after her disastrous first day.  Gwen might not have the shared experiences that had bonded the Torchwood team but as a policewoman she knew about team work, about the reliance and trust between you and those with you on the streets.

She took an interest in what they did outside of work and encouraged them to see each other socially, friendly drinks after a hard day.  Toshiko could feel the atmosphere lightening and the bonds between them slowly becoming stronger.

Gwen’s one failure was with Ianto.

Both Suzie and Owen had jokingly referred to Ianto as Torchwood’s butler.  They were referring to his efficiency, his knowing just what they needed and the joke reminding the Welshman of his subservient role to the rest of the team.

The joke though hid something else, the worrying intimidation they felt around Ianto.  It wasn’t just the looks he would give when you didn’t use a coaster, it was the fact that, like any butler, the Welshman knew all the secrets but kept silent about them.

There were moments when that thought worried Toshiko but Ianto had always seemed to know, with a smile reassure her that everything was okay, what secrets she had were safe with him. 

Gwen too felt that intimidation and followed Owen in her treated the Welshman as admin support to her as a Field Agent so that it wouldn’t worry her.  It meant though that she knew as little about the Welshman as the rest of them did.

Not for the first time since she stepped into the archives Toshiko felt that it should be Gwen here and not her.  The ex-PC was much better at this sort of things and it had been her idea.

Tosh though was determined not to fail Ianto again and she had Jack’s reassurance that she was Ianto’s favourite.  Besides Gwen had already tried and failed to talk to the Welshman.

She made no attempt at stealth as she approached Ianto’s workstation in the Archives.  Toshiko hoped there was confidence in the sound of her clicking heals not nervousness.

“How can I help you Tosh?” Ianto asked not turning around.

“I came to find out how you are.”

“You can tell Gwen that I’m fine,” Ianto replied neutrally still not looking at her.

Toshiko felt the sting of the rebuke.  She had known it would be the wrong question to ask, that he would know she hadn’t thought of it.

Yet she was determined not to just go away.  She might not know Ianto Jones very well but she liked him.

Ironically the incident with Lisa made her like him more. 

Sure he’d endangered the world but the love he’d shown, the fact that he had been blind to the changes the Cybermen had inflicted on Lisa, they spoke to the romantic in Toshiko’s heart, it made her long for that kind of passion, made her feel hope, knowing that such love could exist.

“Tell me what it was like?  Working at Torchwood One,” she asked tentatively.

“That’s a subject that’s probably best left forgotten,” Ianto said a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“No,” the force in her voce startled both of them.  “It’s a part of you.  You were right we never asked anything about you, that we didn’t want to know.

“All I know of Torchwood One is Yvonne Hartman, the battle and you.  You are not what I imagined or Jack would never have given you a job.  Yet you brought something of them with you here, the way you improved things.

“But the more you became a part of us the less you seem like one of them.  You wanted us to forget but you never forgot yourself, you couldn’t.

“I can understand if you are not ready to talk about Lisa but what about the others?  What was it really like working in the Torchwood Tower?”

Ianto turned to look at Toshiko as she spoke.  She could feel him weighing her words to see how much she meant them.

He pulled out the chair next to him, inviting her to sit.  Toshiko sat patiently trying not to seem too eager, excited or pleased that Ianto might be willing to accept her attempts to rebuild their friendship.

“Working for Torchwood One felt strangely normal.”

“Normal?”

“Yes I went to work in a suit every day.  We had researchers, HR, IT support, Admin and reception.  Sure there were labs where they worked on fantastic things and archives and armed guards and personnel but the Tower had a normal, corporate atmosphere.

“Information Retrieval took their jobs very seriously.  Facts, testimonies, rumours, suppositions even superstitions they collected them all.

“We tried to verify what we could as much as possible.  We even kept notes on the lies because you never know where the grains of truth are, you never know where one piece of information might hold the key to understanding a mystery or saving a life.

“The Archiving department however had a sense of humour.  They never messed with any of the artefacts or records but they were not above the occasional joke.”

“Did anyone ever play a joke on you?” Toshiko asked smiling at the slight smile on Ianto’s face.

“Only once, I was asked to deliver an artefact to one of the research departments.  When I gave it to the scientist in charge he told me that it was a fake and that I should have verified what it was with the database before wasting his time.

“He said that anyone could see that it was decorated sugar glass.  He then broke it and blew the sherbet inside all over me.

“It took me half an hour in the bathroom to get presentable again.  I was late to a lunch date with Lisa because of it, because I didn’t want to be stopped and have to explain to a police officer why I was covered in white powder.”

Toshiko couldn’t help it, she snorted with laughter.  While the Welshman didn’t join her he did at least smile.

“They were normal people Tosh.  There were workaholics and rebellious geniuses.  Singles and married people, some within Torchwood but many like Gwen with partners outside.

“They had fun and affairs and they could be mean or petty or ambitious or loyal or eccentric.  I had friends, acquaintances and there were a few people there who just creeped me out for no reason.

“When I first joined you I missed them, part of me still misses them.”

There was no mention of the Torchwood Three team replacing them, about him having new friends.  Seven/eight months or so they had known each and yet they were still all at the first stage in their friendship.

She didn’t want to offer him reassurance that he wasn’t ready to accept.  Besides they would sound false from her, she had only just become comfortable with talking to Owen as a friend and they had known each other a lot longer.

“I really am alright Tosh,” Ianto said quietly and she knew a dismissal when she heard it.

“That’s good.  If you need anything.”

“I will let you know,” the Welshman replied despite both of them knowing he wouldn’t.

Tentatively she patted him on the shoulder.  It was not a gesture she was comfortable with but she wanted Ianto to know that he really wasn’t alone, that he wasn’t untouchable.

Ianto smiled at her and returned to his work.  Toshiko turned back to the Hub feeling lighter inside and determined to talk to him again, not to let him slip away.

As she reached the corridor that lead to the main Hub she was surprised to find Jack there watching.  The Captain put his finger to his lips, looked for a moment at Ianto before steering Toshiko away.

“Thank you,” he said once they were out of earshot.

“I didn’t do it for you,” she said firmly, but she smiled genuinely at him for the first time since Jack let the fairies take Jasmine.

 


	4. Chapter Four

The loud bang followed by his name made Jack turn around.

“Ianto?” he called despite knowing that the Welshman was not there.

Both Gwen and Toshiko had insisted that Ianto go home.  Jack didn’t really feel that there was any danger from him, all of his tests both here and those from Torchwood One had been normal, so he agreed.

Besides he made sure that the medical monitoring device Owen had attached to the Welshman’s wrist also had a listening device, one whose feed Jack currently had piped through to his earpiece.

“Who are you?” The wary question and a sudden thud made all Jack’s nerve-endings tingle.

“Ianto,” he called opening his comms but received no reply.  He then tried the Welshman’s mobile and it went to voicemail after a couple of rings.

Cursing the fact that he had sent all the others home too, he raced to a console to trace Ianto’s medical monitor.  As he let the computer do its work, he began calling the others back to the hub.

Toshiko was the first to arrive and quickly took over the search programs.

“I’ve traced the signal back to a supermarket car park.  There’s been a 999 call, reports of a shooting.  I am trying to get into the CCTV footage.”

“What happened?” Gwen asked as she entered.

At that moment Toshiko brought up the camera footage.  Ianto was walking back to his car carrying a bag of shopping.  From between two other cars came a man with a knife.

The attacker suddenly crumpled up and Ianto turned to another figure, a woman although they couldn’t see her face.  She was holding a gun then suddenly the picture was gone.

“Getting more information from the police report.  They think that Ianto is a hostage and are following his car,” Tosh said with quiet urgency.

“Tosh stay here see if you can find him on the CCTV, update us on any changes.  Gwen and I will go and join the chase,” Jack ordered.

“Also Tosh call Owen tell him to go to that supermarket car park and see if he can find anything that will help us figure out what happened to Ianto.”

They raced to the SUV and Jack started the engine before Gwen closed her door.  She wasn’t sure he would wait for the garage door to open enough before driving into the night.

“Do you want me to call off the police pursuit?” Gwen asked.

“No we don’t want to risk losing them,” Jack replied angrily.

They speed thought the night in silence with only the sound of Toshiko’s directions.  There was a tension running all the way though Jack and it was making his driving even more erratic than usual.

“How has Ianto been?” Gwen asked suddenly, unable to bare the silence as they caught up with the police cars.

“Is now the time for _that_ question?” Jack retorted. _She’s barely spoken to me since Jasmine and now she wants to discuss my other failures._

“In the last month Ianto has been reminded that he has survived two massacres, in one of which he lost his girlfriend.  He’s been withdrawn since he came back and won’t talk to me when I ask.

“I know you spent time with him while he was on suspension and I saw you follow Tosh into the archives earlier.  I was worried about how he’s coping before he got himself kidnapped now I...”

Jack was silent for a moment, his driving got slightly better as he seemed to focus on it.

“I think he’s doing better but I’m not sure.  He just gets on with his job and apart from mostly not talking unless it’s about work he’s acting like everything is normal.

“He accused me of not asking him about himself but there is an invisible barrier around him telling me to keep out,” the Captain replied exasperation leaking into his voice.

“He’s still grieving Jack.  He may no longer blame you but he is not ready to let anyone in, not even friends,” her voice was soft, compassionate.

“I think Tosh managed to make a little progress though,” Jack said hopefully.

Gwen returned his smile and they continued in silence a little longer when Owen’s voice came over the comms.

“Jack you need to turn around and come back to the Hub.”

“What?”

“Ianto’s car it’s a decoy.  Whoever is in there it’s not him,” Owen replied.

“What are you talking about?” Jack demanded still following the police cars.

“I’ve examined the car park.  His comms, mobile and monitoring device are by the shopping bag where his car was, there are skid make to say it left in a hurry.

“Our Ianto’s a cleaver boy though.  One of the items in his bag was a jar of sauce.  It was smashed open and he trod in it.  There is a brief trail of footprints that go over the skid marks and away from the direction of his car.

“I’ve done my best to follow, there were a few other signs but I think that whoever has him realised.  I have found some signs of a struggle then nothing.  I think they had another car waiting,” Owen explained.

“I cannot find them on the CCTV,” Toshiko added from the Hub.  “The same interference that knocked out the camera in the car park has knocked out all the camera’s in Owen’s area.”

“Then how do we find him?” Gwen asked.

“All the cameras in the area Owen is in are working again now.  I am running a program to compare the cars in the area now to those that where there before the black out.

“The blackout started in that area before Ianto arrived at the car park.  I don’t think the mugger was part of the plan.  I think we were alerted to soon, I think they were going to kidnap Ianto anyway.”

“Then why not black out the cameras in the car park before confronting Ianto?” Gwen asked.

“Because they wanted us to know that they had taken him,” Jack replied grimly and turned the SUV around.


	5. Chapter Five

Gwen bit back a curse as she hung up from her latest call with the police officer in charge of investigating Ianto’s kidnapping.  For once Torchwood and the Police were cooperating fully, each would use all their resources to help find the Archivist but they were working together.

It had come as a surprised how willing Jack was to have the police involved.  The Captain however pointed out that Torchwood had virtually no experience with kidnappings unless they involved space ships or teleporters.

The police for their part were willing to overlook the fact that it was a member of Torchwood because of the serious nature of the crime.  It surprised Gwen though how much more cooperative her former colleagues became when she mentioned Ianto’s name.

She looked across at the Captain prowling between Toshiko and Owen’s workstations.  Gwen felt touched by Jack’s concern for Ianto after what happened with Lisa, especially after how little compassion he had shown with Jasmine.

Gwen wasn’t quite ready to understand Jack’s decision over the little girl.  Seeing Jasmine in the fairy photograph just confused her more, the power they had displayed was still beyond her comprehension.

Right now though Jack was acting more like the Captain she knew and trusted.  The problem was that the part of her was still hurting over recent events couldn’t believe he had allowed Ianto to be kidnapped in the first place.

Gwen pushed her feelings aside and went to report.

“The police have finished questioning the two teenagers who were driving Ianto’s car.  They said that a woman gave them the keys because she said she was playing a joke on an ex-boyfriend.

“Their description of her was vague and unhelpful and they had no idea that there was a body in the boot,” she finished and Jack cursed.

The body of the mugger had been found when the Police had finally caught up with the car.  By then their SOCO’s were already working on the car park where Ianto was taken from and Owen had cooperated fully for once.

Even with their sophisticated software it had taken the mainframe three hours to track all the cars that arrived before the blackout and were gone by the time the cameras were working and none of them proved anything useful.

All of them were feeling it.  The longer Ianto was in unknown hands, suffering who knew what the worse his recovery would be.

Gwen wondered to the heavens _Why Ianto?  Hadn’t he suffered enough_?  She wanted to know if he was kidnapped because of Torchwood or something personal but Jack wasn’t allowing any discussions about their motives.

“Guys I think I found something,” Toshiko called out and they came rushing over.

“What is it?”

“I’m using one of Ianto’s monitoring programs and its found a call to the police reporting lights being seen in an abandoned building.”

“Is there any reason for us to follow its suggestion before we go on this possible wild goose chase?” Owen asked cynically.

“The name of the building’s owner is Ianto Jones,” Toshiko said quietly.

“Come off it there must be loads of Ianto Jones’.  It isn’t very likely that our Ianto has ended up in a building that belongs to another Ianto Jones?” Owen said sceptically.

“Ianto’s search program is very efficient.  It brought up the building because it does belong to our Ianto but he doesn’t know it belongs to him,” Toshiko replied.

“What?”

“The building was bought by the Penthexigus Trust and gifted over to Ianto Jones two years ago when he was working for Torchwood One. 

“The deeds are being held for him by a local solicitor.  I found a description of the proof Ianto requires to claim his property, they match out Ianto’s description and they also mention that he is employed by the Torchwood Institute. 

“They were updated last month to so that Torchwood Three is now listed as his employer and Lisa Hallett was removed from the details of next of kin,” Toshiko answered gravely.

“That’s too much information for them to have.  What do we know about his Penthexigus Trust?”

“The trust is over fifty years old, has bought a lot of property around the country and the names of the current trustees are all bogus.  As far as I can tell they have no connection directly or in-directly with Ianto.”

“I take it then that there is no connection between this Penthexigus Trust and us,” Gwen stated.

“Not according to our records.”

“So you’re suggesting that this trust have kidnapped Ianto and are now holding him in a building they bought for him?” Owen said sceptically.

“I don’t like this, it doesn’t make sense.  They know about us and they want us to know they have him.  They don’t make any ransom demands, then they either made a mistake, or they’re deliberately leaving us clues to draw us to this building. 

“We are more likely to find a trap than Ianto,” Gwen said angrily.

“But we have to go there unless we want to risk abandoning Ianto to whoever took him,” Toshiko said quietly.

The team exchanged looks then turned to Jack.  Jack turned and headed towards his office.

“Get tooled up, Tosh tell the police we will look into this call for them.  People I want us there in twenty minutes,” He called back reaching for his gun holster, which was on his desk.

 

Jack drove manically and the team looked at each other wondering if they would reach the co-ordinates in one piece.  None of them said anything though.

They were all too worried to talk.  To afraid of what they would find to speculate.

As Jack drove he heard Ianto’s voice echoing in his head _.  You think you’re a hero but you’re the biggest monster of them all._

Looking back at his life during the weeks Ianto was suspended, Jack realised how harsh he had become.  Gwen’s presence was already beginning to soften him, make him more human again, but the Welshman’s words had made him wonder if he was too late.

Listening to Jasmine’s mother scream at him, holding her while she beat against his chest, Jack had known Ianto was right.  He was a monster.

The team had only confirmed things when they spent the rest of the day ignoring him.  They were barely making any remotely friendly gestures towards him and they were now being urged to work together for the sake of their taken colleague.

There was an irony, the one man who had the most reason to know him as a monster was the only one that understood his decision with Jasmine.  There was still a wall of grief, a numbness around Ianto but with one conversation Jack had seen a spark of a compassionate, caring man, one he hoped would blossom as grief passed.

He couldn’t lose that man now but Jack was terrified that it was now too late.  How much could one person take before they passed their breaking point?

Jack’s eyes flickered to the mirror to look at his team.  They were all silently speculating about the same thing but the Captain was sure that there was anger in their eyes when they looked at him.

It was like they were angry with him for not keeping Ianto confined to the Hub between the medical exams.  The irony that they had been the ones to insist the Welshman be allowed home in the first place was not lost on him.

_You think you’re a hero but you’re the biggest monster of them all._

Part of Jack knew that if he failed to get Ianto back he would no longer be the hero in their eyes.  He was already starting to look like a monster after Jasmine and if they lost the Welshman too, there would be no going back.

Jack sped up.

 


	6. Chapter Six

The building was an abandoned hall.  It had had many lives and uses until vandalism forced it to be closed for renovation and bankruptcy made the closure permanent.

Lights could be seen through the high windows that no one had bothered to board up.  The trees around it made it secluded despite being in the middle of a populated area.

As the team stepped out and checked their weapons the chill of the night hit them.  Gwen wondered if it was colder than expected because they were so afraid of what they would find.

They split up, Jack and Toshiko taking one entrance while Gwen and Owen went around the other side.  It was silent and Tosh’s scans revealed no hidden traps.

They could see movement from only one person inside.  In unison they burst through the doors pointing their guns at the occupant.

Jack’s command to freeze had been instinctive before his mouth realised what he was seeing.

The man standing close to the wall ignored them and continued to paint it.  There was an array of paint tins around him but he had no brushes so he was using his fingers which he dipped into a pool in his cupped left hand.

It was a detail they all focused on to distract from the fact that the man was almost naked.  He wore no clothes or footwear but his whole body, even his hair was covered with multi-coloured patterns and symbols.

He was young and too thin, but muscular.  His movements had an exotic grace to them.  The way they rippled the patterns on his skin made him mesmerizing to watch.

It was not until he turned to get more paint that Gwen recognised him.

“Ianto!” she exclaimed.

The Welshman ignored her and turned back to the painting.  The team exchanged uncertain looks.

Jack nodded to Owen and the doctor holstered his gun and edged closer.

“Ianto mate,” he said as he got nearer and again he was ignored.

The young man’s only concern seemed to be painting the wall.  He allowed Owen to get close, merely stepping around him as he got in the way of the colour he wanted.

“Well it goes all the way round and those patterns are _everywhere_ ,” he said after a moment. 

Owen moved even closer.  “He has defiantly been drugged with something but I will need to run tests to find out what.”

Owen moved into the Welshman’s way.  “Ianto,” he said softly.

The young man hesitated, looking towards him.  Then he reached out to Owen’s face and drew patterns on it with the paint.

“Ianto stop that,” Owen said angrily.

Ianto froze his hand poised in mid air.  Owen looked towards Jack and the others in alarm, especially when he didn’t move for over a minute.

Jack strode towards them, hurriedly removing his great coat.  He wrapped it around the young man’s shoulders.  Owen lowered the raised arm and began to do up the buttons trapping Ianto’s arms inside the coat.

“Get him back to the Hub.  Find out what they did to him.  Take pictures of those patterns they may be significant.  Gwen, drive them back then come back for us.  Toshiko and I will search this place for evidence that this had anything to do with Torchwood and take pictures of that,” He said indicating Ianto’s painting.

“After you’ve collected us Gwen, you can notify the police that we found him and let them go over this place.  Tell them Owen will write a medical report and that we’ll give them Ianto’s witness statement when we have it. 

“If this is nothing to do with us then I want them to be able to prosecute,” Jack said firmly.  They all nodded their agreement, after all this wasn’t just a kidnapping; there had been a murder to.

As Gwen and Owen gently lead Ianto away, Jack felt guilt and anger wave over him. 

_Who’s done this?  What’ve they done and why?  Why Ianto?_

He had to find the answers.  He had to know.  He couldn’t disappoint Ianto.  He couldn’t fail him again.

He looked at Toshiko and saw similar questions and feelings in her face.  He smiled at her, part reassurance they would find the answers, part relief they had found him and part gratitude that she had been right.

She nodded in acknowledgement, putting on gloves then turned to inspect the room.  With a last look at the door the others had gone through, Jack turned his attention to the painting.

The painting scared him almost as much as hearing Ianto being kidnapped.

As it went from left to right, he saw himself and the others in the darkness of the Hub, their faces cold, guns pointing.  Before them was the body of a woman, Lisa, not the half-cybernetic monster they had fought, Lisa the woman Ianto had loved.

Blood pooled from her on to the countryside in which her body lay, turning the trees and flowers red.  Daleks flew in the blue sky at the top of the picture, which became green as it touched Lisa and the red vegetation.

Cybermen and Weevils walked between the red trees that became the flames in which the earth burned.  The colours of the planet were wrong but Jack could not mistake the contents.

The stars behind the burning earth were black cinders between voids of fire.

Jack just stood there breathing hard until Toshiko touched his arm.  Her concern told him she had tried calling his name and he had not realised.

“I’ve found no evidence of an alien presence or alien tech,” she told him gently.  “Disturbing isn’t it.”

“It’s the destruction of the Universe, he had painted the end of everything,” Jack said feeling the despair and hopelessness of the image.

“Would it be more worrying to consider this as his subconscious’ attempt to tell us how he feels, or as a warning his kidnappers have left behind,” Toshiko asked quietly.

 


	7. Chapter Seven

As Jack entered the medical unit, his eyes immediately went to Ianto.  The young man seemed to be sleeping peacefully.  The patterns still marred his pale skin, even his eyelids were marked.

Jack looked to Owen who silently indicated they should move away to talk.  Jack looked back again before following.

“It’s some kind of fruit or vegetable dye.  There is no allergic reaction and it is not permanent but it will take a while to wash off.

“The only physical injuries I can find are needle marks where he was injected with something.  I cannot identify it from the blood tests but there has been some strain on a few of his organs suggesting that he was given close to an overdose level.

“However there were a few other chemicals in his blood that I could identify which are combating the effects of the drug they gave him.  They made sure they did not kill him.

“He was washed with anti-bacterial soap and moisturised before they began to use him as an artist’s canvas.  There are no signs of any sexual interference other than the fact that his cock and balls are decorated like the rest of hm.”

Jack let out a sigh of relief at Owen’s words.  This was going to be a traumatic enough ordeal for Ianto without that.

“I know you don’t know what they gave him but can you tell what it’s done to him?” Jack asked.

“I think it is a chemical hypnotic a very powerful one.”

“What?” Jack said disbelieving.

“After I photographed him, I ordered Ianto to shower himself and he did.  I gave him a number of other trivial commands like getting himself dressed and he obeyed.  I ordered him to slice himself open and he ignored me.”

“What?” Jack exclaimed and Owen waved him into silence.

“It would just have been a small cut, I needed to confirm the theory that it was a hypnotic and not some sort of will suppressant.  People in a hypnotic state don’t do things they don’t want to, like hurt themselves.

“Anyway I asked Gwen to give him similar orders, like with me some he obeyed, some he didn’t.  I gathered a selection of audio files with people giving various commands on them, when it was a recording of one of us he obeyed.  If not then he ignored it, even when he had obeyed the same commands from me and Gwen.

“He ignored any attempts I made to get him to tell me what happened.  Whatever they wanted from him I am not sure they got it.

“I did not want to give him anything else so I ordered him to sleep.  An hour or so later he entered REM sleep.  He should be out for a day or so.”

“I’ve downloaded the photographs of him onto the mainframe.  Tosh is checking the symbols now, see if they can tell us anything about the people who did this and why,” Owen concluded.

There was a worried look in Jack’s eyes as he looked again at Ianto promoting Owen to ask, “What?”

“There is a highly classified note in the Object files concerning Ianto.  His only involvement with the Object project was to carry the segments to and from storage, it should not have been a normal part of his duties but that is why they chose him, security.

“Ianto collects information though.  A conversation overheard here, one he participated in there.  Plus his own work means that, even if they had one, they couldn’t just give him an amnesia pill to wipe out all knowledge of the incident.

“After Smithson’s massacre, Ianto is the one who made the preparations for hiding the segments of the Object.  They set things up so that there were a number of decoys and no person knew what they were hiding.

“He volunteered to then undergo a kind of hypnotherapy to not only suppress most of what he knows about the Object but to put barriers in his mind protecting that knowledge.

“The idea was that if we ever needed to know what he knows about the Object you just give him something to relax him, use the code phrase and he would tell us.  For security reasons the head of Torchwood One was the only one to know the phrase and she’s dead.”

“That’s why you had to tell us about the Object the other day, we don’t have the security clearance to be told,” Owen said slightly horrified.

“He isn’t even aware of it, that was part of the programming.  To him it’s just a painful memory he wants to suppress.”

“So you think his kidnapping could be about the Object?”

“I don’t know, Tosh’s reading from that Smithson energy wave said that the segments were definitely separated and on different continents nowhere near us. 

“The second pulse stops the segments from transmitting the energy signal that can be used to home in on them.  No one knows how long you have to wait before you can use the Smithson energy to find the segments again, so I don’t think whoever transmitted that energy was actually looking for the object.

“However you know how I feel about coincidences.”

“I have to agree with you there.  They didn’t even wait a day to kidnap him and he is the least visible member of the team.”

Further discussions were interrupted by Gwen Cooper entering the medical bay.  They turned to see her looking around in confusion.

“Where’s Ianto?” She asked.

They looked at the bed but she was right, he was gone.

 


	8. Chapter Eight

Jack found Ianto in one of the archives.  He was dressed in one of the suits he kept in the Hub.

It did not go with the series of colours patterned across the Welshman’s face.  They reminded Jack slightly of a tiger’s stripes, beautiful but in the right shadows making him invisible.

Jack’s presence was not unnoticed by Ianto.  He seemed to be cataloguing artefacts on his PDA but as he moved, he turned his face away from the Captain’s gaze.

There was in the Welshman’s usual stillness and a slight tremble.  Owen had been surprised that Ianto was gone because he thought it would take days for the drugs to pass though his system.  To Jack the tremble was proof of that.

“Owen says you should be resting,” Jack said gently.

Ianto ignored him, continuing with checking the contents of the shelves.

Angrily, Jack crossed to him and grabbed the Welshman’s PDA.  Ianto turned to him.  The look he received completed the tiger analogy with a silent snarl.

Startled Jack stepped back as Ianto moved his hands away leaving Jack holding the PDA.  The young man had turned away with another shudder that he swiftly controlled.

The Captain took a deep calming breath and moved closer.  He stood so close that a slight twitch was all it would take for them to touch.

“Ianto,” he said softly.

“I don’t remember anything,” the young man replied to the question Jack could not bring himself to ask.

“I have been trying to reach for the memory.  Trying to do something else to see if they will just come back but there is nothing there.

“I remember the mugger in the car park.  I remember not wanting to die, not because I am afraid of death but because it seemed wrong with all my experiences to be stabbed for £15 and the keys to my car.

“I remember the sound of the gun and the look on his face.  I remember turning to the shooter but not what they looked like.

“Then I’m back in the Hub’s medical bay covered in some interesting body art having lost time while you and Owen talk about me.”

It was the longest speech Ianto had given in a long time.  There was confusion, guilt and anger tinting his words but all strictly controlled.

“It will come back.  I know this must have been a frightening and traumatic experience for you.  Under those circumstances we all try to repress our memories even without a mysterious chemicals adding to the problem,” Jack replied with his best breezy reassurance.

“I wasn’t afraid.”

Jack felt his insides turn colder than Ianto’s voice.  Ianto looked him in the eye for the first time since Jack entered the room.

“If I am suppressing these memories through fear then surely I should feel that fear.  I was not afraid.  I felt…”

His eyes became distant with trying to remember.  Jack could not read his expression but Ianto suddenly turned away again as though realising that whatever emotion he had felt now frightened him.

Jack put a hand on Ianto’s shoulder and was not sure whether to be glad or worried that Ianto did not flinch.

“It will be alright.  We are going to find whoever did this to you?”

“No you won’t,” Ianto replied with a certainty that made Jack’s heart jump.  “It was a test I was left for you to find.”

Ianto put his hand to his head in pain making Jack forget the questions he had.  The Welshman then turned to look at him and jumped back as though surprised to see Jack standing there.

“We were talking,” Jack answered Ianto’s questioning look.  “You have been kidnapped but you are safe now.”

“I remember Owen said I needed to rest.  Rest, rest.”

The young man’s eyes glazed and he seemed unable to keep his eyes open.  Suddenly Jack grabbed him as he slumped into his arms unconsciousness.

Jack carried him back to the centre of the Hub calling Owen to meet him there.  He put him down on the couch.

Owen examined him and the others crowded around.  He ignored all except Tosh who held his medical bag open for him.

“He’s just sleeping.  Like I said that drug is still in his system, it’s still affecting him.  He has a surprisingly strong will, let’s get him back to the medical bay.”

As Gwen and Toshiko moved out of the way Owen said to the Captain.  “I am really glad that he’s one of those itches you feel that one day you will have the urge to scratch.  If you had fired him and left him somewhere would anyone have noticed he was gone?  He would probably be on the way to being a member of a cult by now.”

Jack ignored the comment that was too close to his recent thoughts for comfort.

Instead, he asked, “What is more frightening than fear?”

“What?”

“Ianto said he was not afraid of what he experienced but remembering how he felt did frighten him.”

“Loved,” Owen said simply.

“What?”

“The symbols painted on his skin that Tosh and I have been able to identify are mostly symbols of protection and love; some wishing him peace, health and happiness.  All are human though some are fictional.

“Ianto is still grieving and feeling guilty about how things ended with his girlfriend, so he’s been shutting out all feeling, locked it all up inside, hidden with everything else.

“The last thing Ianto wants right now is to be loved by a group of strangers.  He’s only just accepting friendship from his friends.  We don’t know their agenda and that frightens me, it must terrify him.”

“We will get answers.  We will find them,” Jack said not willing to accept Ianto’s prediction.  Owen nodded and they continued to take the Welshman back to the Medical Bay.


	9. Chapter Nine

Owen like the rest of the team watched Ianto closely as he performed his duties around the Hub.  Like the rest he thought he was being surreptitious until the Welshman suddenly stopped what he was doing and headed for the archives.

As one Owen, Tosh and Gwen stepped forward to follow him but were stopped by Jack saying, “Don’t, leave him.”

The Captain turned and headed straight to his office where he could observe Ianto using the Hub’s security systems.  Judging by the speed with which Toshiko headed to her computer and began typing in instructions, she was doing the same.

Owen turned away and headed towards the medical bay.  Despite Ianto’s latest tests confirming that the Welshman was free of the drugs he’d been given, the medic wanted to make certain to ease worry and guilt mixed within him.

When he had brought the Welshman back to the medical bay, after his wander upon waking, Owen knew it would be unwise to restrain him.  Between the kidnap and any PTSD the recent events with the Cyberman may have stirred up, the medic didn’t want to risk his sanity.

However he also didn’t want the Welshman wandering around the base, especially with all the possibilities a post-hypnotic state might suggest.  So when an all-hands-on-deck Rift Alert was called Owen was forced to lock Ianto in the Medical bay.

When he returned the young man was already having a full blown panic attack.  As soon as he unlocked the door he was knocked over by the fleeing Welshman.

The Medic called for help, but as soon as he saw someone coming towards him, Ianto changed direction from the central Hub towards the Archives.  The rest of the team split up to search for him.

Owen and Gwen got lost and Toshiko had to go and find them and lead them out.  Jack found Ianto and led him back to the medical bay whispering reassurances until the young man was back in bed and falling asleep.

It surprised Owen how readily Ianto seemed to trust Jack.  Between their actions and threats the Captain should have been the last person for the Welshman to have faith in, especially after the events of two days ago.

Thinking back Owen realised that before the Object alarm sounded Ianto had been treating Jack as normal.  He had to know about Jasmine but, unlike the rest of them, he seemed to have accepted the Captain’s decision.

Owen still wasn’t sure he understood the whole business with the fairies.  Even after seeing them in action he still wasn’t sure he comprehended the threat Jack felt them to be.  How Ianto could understand and accept when he hadn’t even been there the medic didn’t know.

Seeing Jack in action over the Welshman’s kidnapping however helped Owen forgive him a little.  If the Captain was to leave any of them to their fate it would have been Ianto. 

The fact that he didn’t, helped the medic a little in restoring his faith in their leader.  It also made Owen determined to protect the young man who, thankfully, was once again in his care.

They all knew they couldn’t leave the Welshman alone now.  Whenever Ianto was awake he would swing between being perfectly lucid to being dazed.

Owen took some more tests before Gwen came to sit with him.  Jack disappeared and returned with some of Ianto’s things including books and DVD’s to keep him entertained and in bed.

Gwen was relieved by Tosh who was then relieved by Jack when it was time for them all to go home.  Owen could tell that even when Ianto was fit enough to leave the medical bay, he wouldn’t be leaving the Hub for a while and pitied him.

The police investigation it seems was going nowhere.  They had managed to collect plenty of evidence from the hall but without being able to interview Ianto and no matches to any of the prints in their database they couldn’t precede.

They had been angry about Torchwood keeping a witness to a murder enquiry from them, despite agreeing that he needed protection, until they received Owen’s report.  The medic knew that Ianto would be angry with himself when he realised the drug in his system might not let him be a reliable witness.

When Owen arrived this morning, Jack and Ianto were having a Torchwood meeting in the medical bay.  The lap top Tosh had set up for the Welshman to watch DVD’s was being used to type up notes and look up information.

Owen wanted to protest but Jack gave him a look to tell him to go away.  The medic suspected that the Welshman was finally talking more about what had happened and the Captain didn’t want him disturbed and clamming up again.

“He’s more his usual self this morning but he still doesn’t remember what happened.  Don’t push him it gets him agitated and he’s been through enough.  If he’s fit and wants to go back to work let him,” Jack told him after their meeting was done.

Owen nodded and conducted his medical exam.  He made it a full exam both to check his patient’s health after the kidnapping and because of Jack’s earlier demand after the Object alarm sounded.

Ianto raised no objections.  He just went through the motions so efficiently that Owen barely had to ask him to do anything.

He tests confirmed that there were only small traces of the mystery drug in his system but otherwise he was fine.  So he released Ianto with a new medical monitor and told him not to overdo it.

The medic understood why Jack wanted him back at work and it had nothing to do with the chaos that threatened the Hub whenever Ianto was away. 

It wasn’t healthy but the Welshman found focusing on his Torchwood duties made everything else in his personal life easier to deal with.

That was something Owen understood.  He’d become focused after Katie died, only it was with finding Jack rather than work.

He was no psychology expert but he reckoned that Jack wouldn’t have insisted that Ianto go back to work if the kidnapping was going to trigger a breakdown.  The Captain would never take such a risk with the safety of his team.

Owen guessed that between his already cut off state and the drug’s effects, the ordeal wasn’t going to add significantly to the Welshman’s current trauma recovery.  The medic couldn’t help admiring Ianto’s inner strength.

That hadn’t stopped him watching though like the others until they were caught.

Owen sighed as he re-examined Ianto’s test results.  He was still no closer to identifying the drug in his system from either his human or alien databases; there was nothing more he could learn about it.

Instead Owen focused on comparing the test results with those taken during the medical exam immediately after the Object alert sounded.  Apart from where the mystery drug was affecting him they were more or less the same as before.

Using Jack’s theory that Ianto’s kidnapping and the Object alert were somehow connected Owen decided to look at the medical files surrounding the project.

It was a dead end, nothing remotely resembling the drug was found in any of the bodies Smithson left behind, including his own. 

There were differences between Ianto last medical at Torchwood One and his current ones but that was due to the battle of Canary Wharf.   This was confirmed when he only found the expected changes between the medical Owen had conducted when the Welshman first joined and the one he took after the Object alert.

No, as far as he could conclude Smithson the energy had had no effect on Ianto although he intended to do one last medical tomorrow to make sure.  There was also no medical evidence to suggest that there was any link with the kidnapping.

Owen returned to the main Hub hoping that the others were having better success.  Although judging from the looks of Tosh and Gwen’s faces it didn’t look like the team was making any progress at all.

 


	10. Chapter Ten

Jack watched Ianto with concern as he tidied up around the Hub.  The others had left ages ago after telling him that they’d found nothing.

The Captain wasn’t going to risk letting Ianto go home, not while his kidnappers were still out there.  That was despite the Welshman’s continuing insistence that they weren’t going to try again.

That was part of the problem.  Ianto could tell them nothing about what happened but knew that they weren’t going to try again because Torchwood had passed the test.

Ianto couldn’t explain his certainty and as the drug left his system that too faded.  He instead became convinced that they’d let him go because they realised they had the wrong person.

Jack though had no intention of taking any risks.  So he got Ianto to make up a bed for himself in the unused barracks.

Only Ianto wasn’t using it.  It was late and he was still working. 

The image of the Welshman’s naked painted body flashed in his mind, it wasn’t an erotic image, it showed the body of a man who worked too hard and ate and rested too little.

Since Owen released Ianto from the Medical Bay the Welshman had done nothing but work.  He had only surfaced from the Archives to get coffee and food for the others yesterday and Jack had no idea when he went to bed.

Today he seemed to be doing the same thing although tonight he had resurfaced as soon as the others left to tidy up.

He knew the others were concerned but Ianto was as withdrawn as he had been after returning from his suspension.  Toshiko had even ventured into the Archives to talk to him but been unable to find him.

Jack approached him cautiously knowing that he had to say something.

“You’re not a prisoner here you don’t have to keep working.”

“Can I go then?” the Welshman asked flatly.

“Ianto we don’t know if it’s safe out there for you.  Much as I hate for you to be right we haven’t found anything about the people who took you.  Here I know you’re safe.”

“I don’t want to be safe here,” Ianto shouted turning to look at him.

The patterns of colour were faded now, almost gone, but they still gave his face an exotic, alien quality.  For a moment Jack wanted to see what was beneath that suit, see the rest of the design; but then he realised what Ianto had said and felt hurt and rejected.

Jack couldn’t blame him though.  Ianto was the only member of his team who truly appreciated how dangerous it was working for Torchwood.

“I’ve lost my hole in the dark where I used to hide I don’t want another,” the anger was gone from the Welshman’s voice as he turned away and continued his work.

Jack couldn’t help smiling.  It seemed he and his team weren’t the only one affected by their heated conversation while the Cyberman prepared to take over the Hub.

In one sense Ianto Jones wasn’t really hiding anymore, the man Jack had been fooled by was lost to grief.  The bravery and compassion though were still in there, waiting.

Jack couldn’t keep Ianto here forever.  The Welshman might not be a prisoner but he was acting like one, acting like he had on suspension when he thought he was waiting for interrogation and execution.

“Look give us tomorrow to see if we can find anything.  We still have no idea what they wanted with you.”

“Yeah I doubt they did it just to see my nightmares painted on the walls.”

“That’s your nightmare?”

“What else did you expect?” Ianto asked and Jack felt like an idiot.

“They’re not always that universally dark.  Sometimes it’s just Canary Wharf, sometimes it’s just when...”

Jack was by his side and put a hand on his shoulder.  Like Toshiko a few days ago he wanted the Welshman to know that he wasn’t alone, that he didn’t have to explain, that he was sorry.

“Like I said give us tomorrow, if we don’t turn up anything I think we should follow up that lead you told me about, the disappearances in the Brecon Beacons, we’ll need the camping equipment.”

“Can I be there when you tell Owen?” Ianto asked shyly.

“Of course, you don’t think I’m leaving you behind after what happened.  Some time out of the city may be good for us all.”  Jack saw that Ianto was about to protest so added encouragingly.

“I don’t intend to tell Owen that we’re going camping until it’s too late for us to turn back.”

“I’ll check what we have and pack the SUV.” Ianto said turning towards the store room.

“Tomorrow, you can do that tomorrow.  I’m obviously the world’s worse host, I don’t have company very often.  How about I order some food and we can watch one of those DVD’s from your house?”

Ianto looked at him in surprise then nodded.

“I just have to put these files away then I’ll pick out a film.”

“Great,” Jack smiled pleased with himself for eliciting the fleeting smile Ianto gave him in return.

The Welshman took the files down to alcove in the Archives where he worked.  He turned to make his way back up but couldn’t resist pulling out the file that had been troubling him all day, the one he had intended to leave on Jack’s desk.

Ianto opened it and carefully spread the photos across the work surface.  They were mostly from Torchwood One, pictures of the five segments of the Object.

The ones that weren’t were computer representations of himself.  He had made them from the photos Owen took of his painted body.

Where the medic and Toshiko had focused on the symbols that had been painted on him, Ianto had removed them so that all that was in the pictures were the blocks of colour beneath.

Looking at them spread out next to each other made it so real.  Although there was no pattern replicated on any of the segments of the Object, or himself, the similarities were undeniable, like being able to tell which artist painted a picture by being familiar with the rest of their work.

It was as if whoever had taken him was marking him as being one with the Object.

Ianto’s stomach suddenly growled startling him.

The Welshman shook his head and the whole notion became ridiculous.  It was just his imagination. 

He was the least important part of the Object project at the Torchwood Tower and he was the least important member of the team now.  Whoever took him probably realised that and let him go as a message to the others.

He gathered up the photos and put the file in its proper place within the archives.  He then made his way back to the Hub were the Captain was waiting.

Jack gave him a smile that was half asking for his help.  Ianto put the Captain out of his misery and fixed up the computer screen to play the DVD then listened to one of his stories as they waited for the Pizza to arrive.

As ‘ _The World is Not Enough_ ’ played Ianto sat on the sofa and mentally planned their trip to the Brecon Beacons.  He did so completely unaware that the man who sat next to him was enjoying his company far more than the film.

The next day they uncovered nothing new about who had taken Ianto.  Jack kept his promise but after the Beacons, the Object and the kidnapping were more or less forgotten.

 

Fin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be posting Part Two soon. Just a reminder that if you are reading my Awaiting Universe in chronological order the next story is Aftermath in Company which I will post after I have finished posting Part Two. Sorry to leave it on a slight cliff hanger if you are waiting but I'm evil like that.


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